Zwarte Piet (Blackface, Black Pete) in Meppel 2015

Zwarte Piet (Blackface, Black Pete) is a very offensive character that appears annually in a so called 'children's tradition'. The struggle to get this slavery-connected figure abandoned has been intensified the last couple of years. In spite of being condemned on charges of racism by the UN some Dutch people hang on to what the call 'tradition'.

Every year a particular city or town is chosen in Holland to welcome Sinterklaas and his Blackface Pete. This year (2015) it was a mid country province capital called Meppel.

Of course there were people , mainly of colour, protesting.
This happens the day after the Paris attacks.

Report: Doreen Sprengers
Video editing: Guilly Koster.